Stronger with Crimson Modifier-Chapter 126: Gray Mist [3]

To that end,

humanity had spent ages researching and inventing tools like parachutes, airplanes, and wingsuits, all to experience the sensation of flight.

But those were ultimately just external aids, and they all came with a certain degree of risk.

One small accident could prove fatal.

And yet, this Qi Dao Grandmaster could defy gravity with their own power and walk on air, which was truly astonishing.

"Alright, this gray fog is definitely not simple. I hope everyone will work together to get through this crisis..."

At that moment, Helinta spoke again.

Then, she began to arrange the specific defense deployments.

It had to be said that while Helinta seemed somewhat cold,

she truly had a knack for deploying city defenses.

Thanks to the dozen or so additional members of the Martial Arts Families, the manpower shortage was successfully resolved, allowing for a more comprehensive defensive deployment.

Because the situation was quite grim, Hu Qi was also assigned a task: to patrol a city block.

Helinta, meanwhile, remained at Zhu Xi.

After the arrangements were made, everyone quickly left Zhu Xi, following its members to various locations throughout Anshan City.

She watched them go, and after everyone had departed,

Helinta stood her ground.

She watched the gray fog in the distance as it rapidly approached, blanketing the high-rises.

An inscrutable expression appeared on her face.

She turned, picked up her red long saber, and walked straight to a black elevator.

There were no buttons beside the elevator, only a facial recognition device.

After Helinta scanned her face,

the elevator doors opened with a DING.

She stepped into the elevator. Inside, there were no extra floor buttons; all the available floors were basement levels. Her gaze swept over them, and she directly pressed the bottommost one: [-30].

The elevator descended at an extreme speed.

A normal person would have been thrown to the floor by the intense feeling of falling.

But Helinta’s figure remained perfectly still.

In just over ten seconds, the elevator chimed DING again. It had traveled from over forty stories above ground to the thirtieth basement level.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a straight, silver corridor.

The corridor was constructed from a special metal. Its surface gleamed coldly under the dim incandescent lights overhead, giving it the feel of an indestructible fortress.

And that was indeed the case. Its level of defense was comparable to a nuclear fallout shelter.

At this moment, armed guards were stationed at intervals along the corridor.

These men wore black uniforms, their faces stern and their expressions focused.

Hearing the sound, they immediately raised their guns and aimed them at the elevator doors.

The dark muzzles of the guns exuded a chilling aura in the faint light.

These men were all military elites. Armed with special armor-piercing rounds in such a confined space, even a member of a Martial Arts Family who had broken through to the Essence Element Divine Treasure would risk being killed on the spot if shot head-on.

"Who’s there?"

The leader of the group spoke, his voice cold.

"It’s me."

Helinta’s voice rang out as she stepped out slowly.

As she moved, beams of light from overhead fell upon her.

Due to the angle, the light cast large shadows across her face.

Her face was almost completely hidden in darkness, with only faint, blurry lines visible under the caress of the light.

"So it’s Lady Helinta. May I ask what brings you here?"

The middle-aged man’s face remained expressionless, but his demeanor relaxed slightly.

After all, Helinta was currently managing Zhu Xi, and she was also the second disciple of the Shexin Sect. Her status was extraordinary.

"The situation outside is critical. I have urgent business with my master!"

Helinta said.

"Very well. Please verify your identity."

The middle-aged man nodded, pointing to a device to the side.

It was a machine for identity verification, capable of scanning fingerprints, irises, and blood.

This was a necessary procedure. After all, some powerful Black Blood Species and Secret Martial Artists inevitably possessed abilities that allowed them to change their appearance, so precautions were necessary.

Helinta nodded.

However, just as she approached the device,

CLANG!

Suddenly,

a flash of dark red sword light lit up the corridor.

The next moment, Helinta’s figure had already crossed several dozen meters, appearing at the far end of the corridor.

Behind her, the guards stood frozen in place.

The middle-aged man, in particular, had a look of utter shock. He seemed to have never imagined that Helinta would suddenly attack.

He raised a hand to clutch his neck, but he couldn’t stop the crimson blood from seeping through his fingers.

The next moment, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.

At the same time, the dozen or so guards behind him met the same fate.

From each of their necks, a stream of dark red blood gushed out.

Their throats had all been slit in an instant.

Helinta remained cold and unmoved by the sight of the dead and dying men behind her.

It was as if she had nothing to do with any of it.

Only her wine-red eyes grew even darker, as if they might start bleeding at any moment.

TAP, TAP...

After that, the path was clear. No one else stood in her way.

Helinta descended another flight of stairs, finally stopping before a door made of metal.

Just as she arrived, the heavy metal door opened to either side with a CLICK.

It revealed a figure sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion.

This person wore a loose, black martial arts uniform, with a long braid hanging down to his waist. It was none other than the Shexin Sect’s Sect Leader, Jiang Zuo.

However, his appearance had undergone a drastic change.

His face was pale, his skin wrinkled.

If before he had looked like a man in his forties, he now resembled a man in his eighties or nineties, an old man who could draw his last breath at any moment.

He looked at Helinta, sensing the thick stench of blood and the bone-chilling cold aura coming from her. A look of regret filled his eyes.

"Helinta, you were my most promising disciple. It’s a shame... I never expected that in the end, you would fail to resist the Erosion of the Ghost Slaying Saber’s killing intent."

"Haha! Erosion? You old bastard, stop with the crocodile tears. Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been planning.

You had me practice the Ghost Slaying Saber for no other reason than to use me to complete this Sword Technique for you.

What master and disciple? You just treated me as a test subject.

It’s a pity my little junior brother is still completely oblivious to all this."

Helinta chuckled lightly. She drew her red long saber, and a hazy black mist began to swirl around her.

"Sigh... To think you would willingly debase yourself and transform into one of the Black Blood Species."

Upon hearing Helinta’s words, Jiang Zuo had only frowned slightly. But when he sensed the aura on her body and that layer of black mist, his expression changed.

"No, no, I’m still human. I’ve just borrowed some of the Black Blood Species’ power... But forget it. Why am I telling you this? You could never understand the greatness of my master!"

Helinta chuckled, raising her saber and pointing it at Jiang Zuo.

"Come now, my dear master. I’ve waited a long time for this day. Let me see just how strong a so-called Qi Dao Grandmaster truly is."